“It’s gorgeous,” I chimed in. “I always dreamed of having dark hair. Once I was in a play and I wore a black wig that almost came down to my waist. I wish they would’ve let me keep it after the show was done.”
Elyse never responded when I spoke during this morning ritual, but something about her expression made me think that she was paying more attention than usual.
“What play was that, miss?” Gretchen still refused to call me by my first name.
“Into the Woods. We did that in college.”
“Sounds like fun, miss.”
“It was.”
“All done.” Gretchen eased her fingers back and the true beauty of the hairstyle was revealed. If I had to replicate it, I’d have no idea where to even begin. Somehow Gretchen had made multiple braids and twisted strands meet at the back of Elyse’s head, forming a loose but massive bun that somehow looked like a flower. I couldn’t stop gushing at how amazing it was.
Elyse stood, and once again the thought struck me that she looked like the textbook definition of a princess. Even if she hadn’t had the elaborate hairstyle, she was wearing a sky-blue dress with a column of buttons up the front, white tights, and soft kid slippers, almost like ballet shoes.
At the door, she politely thanked Gretchen. As always, it was a bit of a shock to hear her voice. I hadn’t heard it enough to be used to it. She stepped into the hall with me right behind her. It was time for Elyse and Derrick to work with the tutor.
I’d like to say I walked her to the classroom, but that would imply a kind of camaraderie that sadly Elyse and I didn’t have yet. So it was more like she walked there and I did too. Still, I tried to keep things friendly. “I wonder where Gretchen learned to do that?” My tone was as nonthreatening as possible, but I got no response. “If I ever get married, I want her to do my hair for me.”
Elyse stepped past me as I held the door to the classroom. She may have taken a quick glance at me from under her dark lashes, but it was hard to tell.
As the massive wooden door slowly closed behind her, I couldn’t help thinking about the young princess. Her hair was beautiful—there was no doubt about that. But she was just a little girl. Could she really want to spend fifteen minutes or more each morning while Gretchen tugged and twisted her hair?
I’d mentioned weddings, and honestly, that was what Elyse’s hairstyle reminded me of. It would look fitting on a bride on her special day. Or on the woman on the cover of a historical romance. But on a little girl, every single day? That didn’t make any sense to me.
Of course, neither of the twins did. Derrick still took off to parts unknown almost every afternoon, almost as often as his sister. The difference was, after the first few days, he’d asked me for permission to go off by himself. I still didn’t know where he went, but he no longer just ghosted as Elyse did.
Besides, when he was with me, we talked. We laughed and joked. He struck me as a relatively normal little boy. But Elyse seemed like a miniature adult. If she liked to play or laugh or make small talk, she didn’t do it when I was around.
Elyse was quiet throughout lunch, and later in the playroom, she grabbed a book and went to her favorite window seat to read while Derrick and I built some sort of massive construction out of his Legos. He was the foreman, so I figured it was his job to know what it was.
Though I’d purposefully had little to drink during lunch, by three nature was definitely calling. As I excused myself, I told the twins I’d be right back and then we’d have a snack. Yes, it was a bribe, but half the time Elyse took my bathroom breaks as a chance to leave.
When I returned from the restroom, both children were actually still there. Derrick was standing next to his sister, and I could hear their quiet voices but not what they were saying. Feigning interest in a book on a shelf by the door, I let them be. Elyse spoke so rarely that I was half afraid she’d forgotten how.
After what seemed to be an intense discussion, Derrick approached me. To my surprise, Elyse came too. I hoped my smile was encouraging, not overeager.
“Miss Andrews, can we go downstairs?” Derrick said in his role as designated spokes-twin.
“Of course. Where will you be?”
Derrick sneaked a quick glance at his sister. “We want you to come too. There’s a tour starting.”
They wanted me to join them! Both of them? But even if Elyse wasn’t jumping up and down with excitement, she seemed on board with what her brother had to say. “I’d love to see the tour. I read about it online the very day I found out about this job.”
Derrick smiled, but there was a slight hesitation. “We… we don’t go on the tour. Not exactly. There’s this game we sometimes play. We could show you if you’d like?”
“I’d like,” I said, feeling a smile spread across my face.
Five minutes later, I was crouched behind a desk next to the children. Just outside the room, a tour guide was speaking to a group of about fifteen people in German. Some tourists had earbuds attached to devices, which, Derrick explained, gave the tour spiel in different languages.
Bending lower, I was able to see several pairs of boots and legs. It was still kind of fun to be in here when no one out there knew it.
Derrick leaned close to me. “He’s telling them about our great-great-great-grandfather.”
“Shh,” Elyse whispered, and her brother fell silent.
Once the tour had moved on, the twins stood, and Derrick told me to follow them. Moving quietly and assuredly, they led me through a side door into an adjacent room. It appeared to be an old library which seemed a great discovery until I realized that none of the books were in English. Derrick motioned to wait but made no move to hide. Perhaps the tour group was behind us now?
Elyse had her ear to a closed wooden door.
“Get ready…” Derrick said, and in spite of myself, I started getting excited. This was fun. Like playing spy.
Elyse beckoned and we hurried through the door. As Derrick closed it behind us, I heard voices speaking in German in the hallway beyond. The new room was full of glass cases of medieval weaponry and even contained two full suits of armor. Walking on tiptoe, the twins crept toward the open door that led out to the hallway. Though they were partially hidden from view by one of the suits of armor, if anyone had entered the room they would’ve been spotted.
Derrick waved me over and I joined him, crouching low. Now I could see some tour group members as they followed the guide down the hall away from us. “They never look back,” Derrick whispered.
Once the tour was out of sight, I straightened up. “That was fun! How often do you two do this?” Looking around, I realized I was speaking to Derrick and an empty suit of armor. “Where’s Elyse?”
Derrick shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “I guess she had to use the restroom.”
Which meant she’d disappeared again. That was disappointing, but not unexpected. What was a little unexpected was that I was still in a good mood. I didn’t have to think long to discover the source. Derrick was such as sweet kid, trying not to hurt my feelings by admitting that his sister had ghosted on me. “Thank you for including me in your game, Derrick.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Andrews. You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
He blushed as I raised my eyebrow.
“It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong, but… if people knew…”
“It wouldn’t be as much fun,” I finished for him.
“Exactly.” He smiled and glanced at the nearest display case. “Do you want to see any of the weapons while we’re here?”
Looking around, I zeroed in on a glass case with a very lethal-looking device in it. “Actually, I’ve been in here once before when I was lost.”
Derrick grinned. “You sure get lost a lot.” Just for a moment, he looked like his father. Though I hadn’t seen Nico smile often, I recognized the way one corner of the mouth rose higher on both man and boy. I had no doubt that Derrick was going to grow up to be as handsome as his dad.
“
Miss Andrews, may I go play?”
Apparently together time was over. “In your room?” I was pretty sure of his answer, but I had to try.
“Just… around here.” Like his sister, he wanted to do his own thing. But at least he’d included me in one of their games first.
“Sure. Dinner’s in an hour and a half.”
“Thanks.”
I was still smiling as I watched him walk away. My smile faded slightly when I stepped out into the hallway. Suddenly joking about being lost didn’t feel quite as funny.
This was the second floor—that much I knew. The family area was one flight above. I set off down the empty hallway, my footsteps echoing. Rounding a corner, I saw the grand, sweeping staircase ahead of me. It was the one we’d come down earlier. This was good!
But then I took in the scene before me, which was bad. Three tiers of tourists posed on the bottom steps, smiling as one of the servants took pictures. Dismayed, I stepped back into the shadows.
Okay, I could do this. It was a huge castle. There couldn’t just be one flight of stairs. I took the hall the opposite way and it immediately started getting more twisty as I continued. There was a fork at the end, and to my left I saw an elevator. Thankfully I raised my hand, but instead of a button, it had a keypad.
Backtracking, I tried the other fork and was rewarded with a staircase, an ordinary one that obviously wasn’t destined to become the backdrop of photos.
At the top, I headed confidently to the left. That’s where the children’s and my rooms were. At least that was my fervent belief. But then a tall figure stepped in front of me and barked something in German.
The man towering over me was in a dark gray uniform with a hat, and he had a sword at his side—an actual sword—and his hand was resting lightly on the hilt.
My hand flew to my heart as I leapt back. The man—whom I took to be some kind of officer—stayed where he was, still speaking gruffly in German. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand. I’m trying to find the children’s rooms.”
Evidently he spoke about as much of my language as I spoke of his. He launched into another incomprehensible speech, but this time I caught a name I recognized: Margrit. Oh god, this must be the way to the queen’s suite. Surely he didn’t think that I’d purposefully tried to get in there? I was pretty sure I didn’t look like I was trying to storm the castle.
Trying to look apologetic, I considered my options. I obviously couldn’t ask him to help me find my way back, but since I’d recognized that name, maybe he’d recognize the ones I said. “I’m trying to find Prince Derrick and Princess Elyse.”
The officer stared at me for a long moment and then nodded. Taking his hand off the hilt of his sword, he gestured down the hallway, and then indicated a right turn. But then he said something in German and indicated left beyond that. After that, the directions got so complicated I’m not sure I would’ve understood them had they been in English.
It was hopeless, but getting lost again was preferable than being possibly imprisoned for crimes against the court.
Trying my best to follow the man’s gestured directions, I soon found myself in a narrow hallway I hadn’t seen before. Most of the doors I passed were closed, but a few were open. In one dimly lit room, I saw the silhouette of a woman out of the corner of my eye and turned toward her eagerly. “Thank goodness. Do you speak English? I’m trying to find—”
My words died in my throat as I stopped in the doorway. It wasn’t a woman at all, but rather a mannequin. Slowly I stepped into the room and felt for the light switch. When it was on, I gasped.
Glass cases lined the walls, but the platform in the middle was clearly the most important display in the room. The blank-faced mannequin wore a beautiful pink ball gown. It hung off the shoulders and gathered at the waist before blossoming out in layer upon layer of rose-colored silk. It was the most gorgeous gown I’d ever seen, and I’d seen plenty in my theater days.
A wig sat on the mannequin’s head, its glossy brown hair arranged in an elegant updo. In fact, all those braids reminded me of Elyse’s hair. My hand moved to my mouth as I realized this beautiful dress must’ve belonged to the prince’s late wife.
My first thought was how beautiful she must’ve been. I’d seen pictures, but it wasn’t the same as seeing this incredible outfit she’d once worn. She’d had a tiny waist, and she’d been tall. Much taller than me. Only a tall and slender woman could’ve worn a gown such as this.
Scattered around the room in the cases lining the walls were more things that belonged to her. A few of her books. Some letters she’d written, both in English and German. A pair of her shoes. Photos of her with the twins when they were babies. Those pictures… somehow they warmed my heart even as they broke it. Those poor children had had far too little time with their mother.
When I turned, I saw the second most impressive exhibit in the room—a large photo of Prince Nico and Lady Lisette on their wedding day. It was in black and white, and much larger than life. They both looked so happy, so vibrant. I’d never seen Nico smile like that. He looked so different. Younger, yes, but also… optimistic and hopeful.
It hit me all at once. They’d been a family. Nico had had a loving wife. The twins had had a caring mother. And they’d lost all that in an instant. It was a different kind of loss than my mother’s cancer. As horrible as it had been for Autumn, my father, and me, we’d known it was coming. Even me, and I’d only been eleven. But this… Nico, Derrick, and Elyse’s life had changed in the blink of an eye. And all of Lady Lisette’s hopes and dreams for her family and her future vanished with it.
Waves of emotion overcame me. Those poor children—to have their mother’s possessions around while not having her. And what must it be like for Nico to have this remembrance under his own roof? To have his wife’s belongings so close and to not have her? I wondered if he ever came here. Maybe he felt close to her when he was here?
Or maybe he didn’t come here at all.
As I shouldn’t have. While it was likely this room was on the tour, to me it felt like I was prying in another woman’s life. As if I were somehow trying to take something from her. Slowly, I withdrew toward the door. It almost seemed disrespectful to turn my back on Lady Lisette.
My grip on the doorframe was ironclad as I took one last look at the mannequin wearing Lady Lisette’s dress. From here, she almost looked alive. Her dress and hair were exquisite. Only the blank face remained devoid of any personality.
A movement caught my eye, and for the second time in ten minutes, I jumped backward. Frozen, I looked around and strained my ears, but I was alone. So what had I seen?
There was a window to the right of Lady Lisette’s gown. I cautiously moved toward it. Windows on the third floor sometimes provided a view of the snow-covered gardens, but more likely they overlooked the roofs of the lower levels. Since arriving in Falkenberg, I’d been doing research each evening after the children went to bed. I knew that the castle had been built up over the years. Some parts were nearly four hundred years old. Others had been added in the last century.
Reaching the window, I peered out. A flat roof spread in either direction. To the left was another window in a nearby room. To the right was a stone wall. And at the base of the wall was—
Startled, I gasped. It was a person, one who’d knelt down to tie his shoe. I squinted, but all I could see was his dark wool coat as he bent over. Why was someone out on the roof? How had he gotten there? And what was he doing?
Then he straightened up, grasped the ladder, and started climbing upward.
It was Derrick.
10
Cara
For a long moment—too long—I stared at the rickety metal ladder Derrick had just climbed. At the top, he’d deftly swung his legs over a low brick wall and disappeared.
Then, without conscious thought, my finger flew over the windowsill, feeling for a lock. When I was able to tear my eyes away from the spot where I’d last seen my charge, my heart san
k. There didn’t appear to be a lock on the window, but it was old and looked enormously heavy. There were two panes encased in thick wooden frames. When I tugged on the bottom rim, nothing gave, not even a little.
Was it glued shut? Or just never used? It didn’t matter which, because the window wasn’t going to budge. At least not for me. If I had Nico’s impressive biceps maybe it would, but I couldn’t get it open.
Ignoring the somber atmosphere of the room, I dashed out and into the next one, and then the one after that. None of the windows would open.
Panic overwhelmed me. I should find someone, get help, but I didn’t know where anyone was. Hell, I didn’t even know where I was. And if I encountered a servant or soldier who didn’t speak English, how would I make them understand that Derrick was out there in the cold, climbing up walls and doing who knew what else?
God, if he fell… if he fell, I’d never forgive myself.
Rushing into yet another room, I skidded to a halt. A balcony. This room had a balcony! Thank god. In seconds I was out in the cold, but the balcony overlooked the palace grounds, not another rooftop. Frantically I looked around. There! At the far right was a corner of the second-floor roof. But it was a couple of feet away from the balcony.
Rushing to the rail, I peered over the edge. At the base of was a ledge of perhaps six inches. Beyond that was a stone-paved walkway three stories down.
Please, please, please… The words echoed in my mind, though I didn’t know what exactly I was asking for. For Derrick to be safe? For me to find him? For me not to fall?
I swung my leg over the rail, thankful that I had on pants and sturdy ankle boots today. With a death grip on the rail, I placed one foot and then the other on the six-inch ledge. Focusing on the nearby rooftop and trying to ignore the ground below, I reached out one leg, pointing my toe.
When I was stretched my farthest, I could almost reach the edge of the roof. Muttering a quick and disjointed prayer, I extended my arms, letting my upper body fall forward. When the toe of my boot had almost bridged the gap, I pushed off with my other foot and made the leap.
Dashing: A Royal Cinderella Billionaire Story Page 7
